WINK Investigates Reporter Olivia Jean
•6/25/2026
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — As Florida officials announced Thursday they are shutting down the controversial immigration detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz, WINK Investigates has learned exclusively that a corrections officer assigned to the facility was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge.
WINK Investigates obtained an arrest report showing 24-year-old Stephen Jordan Trejos, who listed his agency as Alligator Alcatraz, was arrested Wednesday night on a misdemeanor battery charge.
According to the arrest report, Trejos was taken into custody at Alligator Alcatraz and transported to the Naples Jail Center without incident.
The arrest report does not identify the alleged victim, and it remains unclear whether the case involves another employee, a detainee or someone else. It is also unknown whether the alleged battery occurred at the detention facility.
A law enforcement source inside Alligator Alcatraz tipped off WINK Investigates Reporter Olivia Jean about the arrest Thursday afternoon.
WINK Investigates requested additional information from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) about the arrest but had not received a response as of publication. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) referred questions to the State of Florida.
Trejos later posted his $1,000 bond and was released from custody.
The arrest comes as the state closes the immigration detention facility after months of controversy, legal challenges and political debate.
A facility at the center of national attention
Since opening, Alligator Alcatraz became one of Florida's most closely watched immigration detention facilities.
State leaders defended the center as an important tool in immigration enforcement, while immigration attorneys, civil rights groups and families of detainees accused the facility of violating detainees' constitutional rights and raised concerns about conditions inside.
Thursday morning, federal and state officials announced the closing of the detention center.
Governor Ron DeSantis, however, defended the facility Thursday, saying it played an important role in Florida's immigration enforcement efforts.
"I have no doubt that this saves lives," DeSantis said Thursday.
While state leaders called the facility a success, immigration attorneys and civil rights advocates argue the legal questions surrounding the detention center are far from over.
Legal battles continue despite closure
Although detainees are no longer being housed at Alligator Alcatraz, the legal fight surrounding the facility is far from over.
Immigration attorney Hector Diaz, who says he represented about 25 detainees held at the facility, believes the closure does not end questions about what happened inside.
Multiple lawsuits challenging the detention center remain pending in federal court, including cases alleging environmental violations, due process concerns and restrictions on detainees' access to attorneys.
On Thursday alone, multiple federal judges changed the detention status of 14 former Alligator Alcatraz detainees. Five others received similar rulings on Wednesday, the previous day.
"Those lawsuits will continue to go through the system," Diaz said. "The defendants in this case will have to say what happened ultimately to the people that were being detained at Alligator Alcatraz."
Where detainees are going
Governor DeSantis did not specify Thursday where detainees from Alligator Alcatraz are being transferred.
However, Diaz told WINK Investigates that "vast majority" have been moved to what state leaders call the 'Deportation Depot', a detention facility that opened outside Jacksonville in September.
WINK Investigates will continue pressing state officials for additional details about Trejos' arrest, including whether the alleged battery involved a detainee or another employee, while also tracking the legal challenges that continue despite the facility's closure.
